Plan b @ Ipoh

I met up with a dear friend (from KL) in Ipoh on the second day of Chinese New Year.  Our initial plan was to have an early dinner at any one of the quirky cafes along Jalan Sultan Yussuf but, upon reaching our destination, we realised that all the cafes (Burps & Giggles, Missing Marbles, Buku Tiga Lima, Pattiserie Boutique...even snack shop, Bits & Bots) were still closed for Chinese New Year.....T_T

Out of desperation, we had no choice but to come up with plan B....err, by that, I literally mean Plan b @ Ipoh...the only cafe we found open in the vicinity.  Funny that I've never ventured into any of Plan b's cafes (under the BIG group) while in KL but ended going to the one in Ipoh! :D  Couldn't take many shots of the place as it was super crowded with people (there were even people taking photos at the restaurant's signage).  There's an indoor air-conditioned space and a semi-outdoor space.  I was actually loving the ambience and décor of the place.

We ordered the Crunchy Pomelo Salad @ RM18 for sharing...what better place to order a pomelo salad than in Ipoh, right?  It was made up of pomelo, crispy soy protein, peanuts, fried shallots, "kerisik" (toasted coconut flakes) and chilli flakes served with a wedge of lime and tamarind dressing on the side.  A few betel leaves (as stated in the menu) were also on the plate should you want to wrap the salad in it...eww, I'm not going anywhere near a betel leaf anytime soon...that's why I don't eat the Thai dish of "mieng kam" either which uses wild pepper leaves (instead of betel leaves).

Pour as much (or as little) of the tamarind sauce as you like, squeeze the fresh lime over it and give it a good mix.  The pomelo sacs were sweet and juicy and the tamarind dressing provided a fresh and tangy flavour to the salad which I liked.  The peanuts and crispy soy protein bits provided the crunchy texture to the dish while the freshly fried shallots and toasted sesame seeds made the whole dish even more fragrant.  All in all, we enjoyed the salad very much :)  If there's a tiny complaint, it would be that the peanuts had a teeny-weeny bit of staleness to it :(

For our mains, I went with the Shrimp Po' Boy @ RM23 which comprised of battered fried shrimps, on a bed of lettuce leaves, with Japanese mayo served on a brioche hot dog bun.  [#Tip: For those not familiar with the term po-boy, it's typically a submarine sandwich that usually consists of roast beef or fried seafood (like shrimps, oysters, soft shell crab, catfish, crawfish) and sometimes fried chicken breast (origin: Louisiana).]  The brioche bun was soft but kind of dry and had some nice grill marks on them though I wouldn't have mind if it was smothered in butter...and then grilled ;)

I was very pleased with the crispy and crunchy battered shrimps but I thought it needed a bit more mayo than the light drizzle provided (and so I made a request for additional mayo).  They were quite generous with the portion of shrimps and I could only finish half of it and had to "tapau" the rest (which my son enjoyed as his supper).

It was served with French Fries and a side salad.  The fries could have been better instead of tasting like those of a frozen kind.

My friend had the Salt Beef & Egg Wrap @ RM22 which was salted beef, hard boiled egg, fried turkey bacon, cheddar cheese and sauerkraut with Russian dressing in a tortilla wrap.  It was also served with French fries and a side salad.  The salad was somewhat different from the usual ones that we've had.  It was made up of lettuce, frisee, cucumber shreds, seaweed strips and sunflower seeds with a very light dressing...rather interesting, I must say, but (again) I would have liked more dressing.  The flavours of the tortilla wrap was alright...I'm just not a fan of tortillas!

Our coffees for the evening:

Iced Cappucino @ RM12

Iced Mocha @ RM14

My Personal Opinion

This is a pretty decent café with lots of choices to please everyone from breakfast staples to soups and salads to burgers and sandwiches to nibbles and bites to pastas and mains.  It's a good hangout place for friends to catch up over coffee and cakes too.

The food and drink prices may seem a little pricey by Ipoh standards but it's considered pretty average for KL cafes.  I did like the food and wouldn't mind visiting another Plan b outlet here in KL. 

As the saying goes...if Plan A doesn't work.....it's good to have a Plan b.

Plan b

No 75 Jalan Panglima

30000 Ipoh

Perak

Tel: 05-249 8286